Lockers Park School
Encyclopedia
Lockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead
, Hertfordshire
. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow
, Eton
, Radley, Bradfield
and Rugby
. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.
, and is thus one of the earliest purpose-built preparatory schools in England
.
It is built on the parkland of a significant Georgian house, called The Lockers, which still exists, now divided into apartments. Henry Draper took the opportunity to buy the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) of parkland when the owner of The Lockers fell on hard times, and built a school with facilities to house the sons of gentlefolk who intended their sons for Rugby
. He was guided in his choice of location by the proximity of the site to Boxmoor
(now Hemel Hempstead
) station, and its situation on the route from London
to Rugby
.
In the following years Lockers Park School established itself as one of a handful of high-quality preparatory schools, sending boys to Eton
, Harrow
and Winchester as well as Rugby
, Bradfield
, Uppingham School
and the nearer schools of Stowe
and Haileybury.
Its list of distinguished old boys is long, most notably:
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
,
His Highness Prince Maurice of Battenberg
and
Guy Burgess
, the Russian spy.
The Nawab of Pataudi
, captain of the Indian Cricket team,
Sir Keith Joseph
,
James Lees-Milne
and Saif Ali Khan
also went to the school.
Many traditions from the days of Draper still continue, maintained within the fully updated buildings and alongside the modern and vibrant curriculum. Tuck and sweets (which Draper did his best to discourage parents from supplying to boys on exeats!) are still known as ‘slatter’, after Mr Slatter who owned a sweet shop in Boxmoor
; boys have ‘Sets’ rather than houses, the names being those of famous army and navy captains, Beatty, Haig, Jellicoe, Kitchener, Mountbatten and Roberts; and the forward-thinking system of effort grades, emphasizing attitude and application as the most important elements of education, is the same today as that instituted by the earliest Headmaster.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Radley, Bradfield
Bradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
and Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.
History
Lockers Park has a long and distinguished history. It was founded in 1874 by Henry Montagu Draper to be a foundation school preparing boys for Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, and is thus one of the earliest purpose-built preparatory schools in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is built on the parkland of a significant Georgian house, called The Lockers, which still exists, now divided into apartments. Henry Draper took the opportunity to buy the 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) of parkland when the owner of The Lockers fell on hard times, and built a school with facilities to house the sons of gentlefolk who intended their sons for Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
. He was guided in his choice of location by the proximity of the site to Boxmoor
Boxmoor
Boxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands....
(now Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
) station, and its situation on the route from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
.
In the following years Lockers Park School established itself as one of a handful of high-quality preparatory schools, sending boys to Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Winchester as well as Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, Bradfield
Bradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
, Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
and the nearer schools of Stowe
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and Haileybury.
Its list of distinguished old boys is long, most notably:
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
,
His Highness Prince Maurice of Battenberg
Prince Maurice of Battenberg
Prince Maurice of Battenberg, KCVO, was a member of the Hessian princely Battenberg family and the extended British Royal Family, the youngest grandchild of Queen Victoria...
and
Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
, the Russian spy.
The Nawab of Pataudi
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Mansoor Ali Khan or Mansur Ali Khan , sometimes M.A.K. Pataudi , nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, was an Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team...
, captain of the Indian Cricket team,
Sir Keith Joseph
Keith Joseph
Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...
,
James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne was an English writer and expert on country houses. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and a biographer. He is also remembered as a diarist.-Biography:...
and Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the late former Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters: Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan....
also went to the school.
Many traditions from the days of Draper still continue, maintained within the fully updated buildings and alongside the modern and vibrant curriculum. Tuck and sweets (which Draper did his best to discourage parents from supplying to boys on exeats!) are still known as ‘slatter’, after Mr Slatter who owned a sweet shop in Boxmoor
Boxmoor
Boxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands....
; boys have ‘Sets’ rather than houses, the names being those of famous army and navy captains, Beatty, Haig, Jellicoe, Kitchener, Mountbatten and Roberts; and the forward-thinking system of effort grades, emphasizing attitude and application as the most important elements of education, is the same today as that instituted by the earliest Headmaster.